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22 sept 2018
Irish senator urges event to be canceled over ‘apartheid’ Israel
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Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile of Irish nationalist party Shin Fein

A senator from Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein has called Israel an apartheid regime and called on football officials in Belfast to withdraw from the upcoming games because they are to take place in Israel.  

Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile said the “apartheid” regime “is involved in the slaughter of Palestinian civilians, flagrant human rights abuses, while showing complete disregard for international law.”

Speaking to The Belfast Telegraph on Thursday, he also called on the Irish Football Association (FAI) to cancel an upcoming Under-21 Euro Qualifier with Israel.

“Palestinian footballers and facilities have been deliberately targeted by Israeli military and the national team blocked from partaking in international fixtures due to disgraceful restrictions placed on them by the Israelis,” Ó Donnghaile said.

“UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) have a responsibility not to put countries in the position of facing Israel in competitive fixtures by expelling them from their competitions while Israel continues its onslaught against the Palestinian people,” the official asserted.

Last week, the party called on the Northern Ireland to cancel a friendly with Israel in Belfast, which ultimately went ahead.

Europe rallying behind Palestine?

Also on Thursday, Spain said it would try to bring about a "European recognition" of an independent Palestinian state, noting that the country might itself go ahead and recognize Palestine if a consensus evaded the continent.

Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said he would launch an "intensive" consultation process with his counterparts to set a timetable for achieving a common position on the subject. If “the EU is not able to reach unanimous decision," the option of individual recognition of Palestine is “on the table,” he added.

Meanwhile, eight European countries issued a joint statement, which was read out at the United Nations in New York prior to a UN Security Council monthly debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They warned the regime against demolition of a Palestinian village in the West Bank.

The statement cosigned by the UK, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Poland said that the European Union had “repeatedly stated our long-standing position on Israel’s settlement policy, illegal under international law, as reconfirmed by Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016).”

The illegal status extended to “actions taken in that context, including the demolitions of Palestinian communities and possible forced transfers of population,” it added.

“The community of Khan al-Ahmar is located in a sensitive location in Area C, of strategic importance for preserving the contiguity of a future Palestinian state,” the countries said.

The Area C of the West Bank is the largest division in the occupied territory as it comprises 60 percent of the land, and is under full Israeli military control.

In early September, Israel’s Supreme Court rejected appeals against the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and said a temporary injunction that had put the move on hold would expire within seven days.

The Tel Aviv regime says the village is built illegally, but the Palestinians say the demolition plan is part of the regime’s forcible displacement policy to make room for its settlement activities.

The United Nations has, itself, urged Israel not to demolish the village which is home to 180 Palestinians.

“The consequences of a demolition of this community and the displacement of its residents, including children, would be very serious,” the European envoys stated.

21 sept 2018
More than 200 Palestinian Sports Clubs Urge Puma to End Sponsorship of Israeli Teams in Illegal Settlements
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September 20, 2018 / By Palestinian Athletic ClubsTo: Bjørn Gulden, CEO of Puma
Cc: Management and Supervisory Board members: Michael Lämmermann, Lars Sørensen, Jean-François Palus, Jean-Marc Duplaix, Béatrice Lazat, Thore Ohlsson, Bernd Illig and Martin Köppel
10 September 2018

We are writing to urge Puma to end its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA) due to its deep complicity in Israel’s violations of international law and Palestinian human rights.

The IFA sponsors football matches in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as exposed by Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations. There are six Israeli football clubs located in Israel’s settlements, on stolen Palestinian land, that Palestinians are not allowed to enter. Israel’s settlements contribute to serious human rights abuses [pdf] and are a direct cause for restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement, access to natural resources and ability to build homes and conduct business.

IFA’s involvement in Israel’s illegal settlements has been condemned by, among others, Wilfried Lemke, the UN special adviser on sport for development and peace, dozens ofMembers of the European Parliament (MEP), civil society and human rights groups and public figures from the world of arts and culture. Despite these global appeals, the IFA has decided to put politics above sports and refused to end its complicity.

As the main international sponsor of the IFA, Puma is lending its brand to cover up and whitewash Israel’s human rights abuses, including against Palestinian footballers. Palestinian players are routinely attacked, imprisoned and killed. They are denied the freedom of movement to attend their own matches. Palestinian stadiums have been bombed and destroyed. Israel even prevents Palestinians from importing football equipment and developing football facilities.

Puma’s sponsorship of the IFA legitimises and gives international cover to Israel’s illegal settlements. UN Security Council Resolution 2334 [pdf] (2016) denounces Israeli settlements as “flagrant violations” of international law. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is compiling a database of companies that do business in or with Israel’s illegal settlements as a practical step for accountability of complicit corporations.

Puma’s sponsorship of the IFA would land it on this list based on the selection criteria. In addition, your sponsorship of the IFA, an entity with operations in the settlements, makes Puma complicit and may expose it to consumer-led boycott campaigns in the Arab world and globally.

According to your Code of Ethics, Puma is committed “to human rights and intend[s] to act as a socially responsible company” wherever it operates.

We urge you to abide by your Code of Ethics by withdrawing your sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA) until it ends its involvement in Israel’s grave violations of international law and human rights abuses against Palestinians.

Signed:
  1. Al-Jalama Youth Club
  2. Bruqeen Sport Club
  3. Al-Sila Al-Haretheya Sport Club
  4. Askar Youth center
  5. Al-Arqa Youth Sport Club
  6. Deir -Istiya Sport Club
  7. Al-Teba Sport Club
  8. Til sport club
  9. Arraba sport club
  10. Yasoof Sport Club
  11. Ta’ank sport club
  12. Al- Tadhamon Sport Club
  13. Burqeen sport club
  14. Kifl Hares Sport Club
  15. Jaba’ Sport club
  16. Bazarya sport club
  17. Jalboun sport club
  18. Masha Sport Club
  19. Marj Bin Amer Sport Club
  20. Duma Sport Club
  21. Rumana Sport Club
  22. Ebal Sport Club
  23. Zaboba Sport Club
  24. Asira ash-Shamaliya Club for Women
  25. Silat Ad-Dahr Sport Club
  26. Balata Youth  Center
  27. Tura Al-Gharbiya Sport Club
  28. Employees Club- Nablus
  29. Anin sport club
  30. Ahli-Balata Sport Club
  31. Al-Yamoun Youth Sport Club
  32. Oref Sport Club
  33. Anza Sport Club
  34. Asira ash-Shamaliya Sport Club
  35. Yabad Youth Club
  36. Aqraba Sport Club
  37. Faquoaa Sport Club
  38. Asira Al-Qibliya Sport Club
  39. Al-Jadida Sport Club
  40. Qusen Sport Club
  41. Qabatya Sport Club
  42. Sarra Youth Club
  43. Hilal Arana Sport Club
  44. Palestinian Woman Club
  45. Kufr-Than Sport Club
  46. Beit Furik Sport Club
  47. Fahma Sport Club
  48. Burqa Sport Club
  49. Kufr- Ra’i Sport Club
  50. Qusra Club Association
  51. Al-Fondoqawmiya Sport Club
  52. Burin Sport Club
  53. Maithalon Sport Club
  54. Beita Sport Club
  55. Barta’a Sport Club
  56. Jabal Al-Nar Sport Club
  57. Jenin-Camp Youth Center
  58. Al Madina Club-  Nablus
  59. Ajja Sport Club
  60. Central Valley Sport Club
  61. Brothers Sport Club
  62. Nablus Youth Club
  63. Palestinian Young Women Club
  64. Al-Qustol Youth Club
  65. Tayasir Sport Club
  66. Qaryout Club
  67. Deir Abu Da’if Sport Club
  68. Beit Dajan Sport Club
  69. Al-Ahli Qalqilya Club
  70. Al-Sawya Club
  71. Jenin Sport Club
  72. Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya Club
  73. Islami Qalqilya Club
  74. Youth center No.1
  75. Tubas Club
  76. Yasid Sport Club
  77. Azzun Sport Club
  78. Deir-Sharaf Sport Club
  79. ‘Aqqaba Sport Club
  80. Osarin Sport Club
  81. Jayyous Sport Club
  82. Hittin Sport Club
  83. Tammun Sport  Club
  84. We are All Palestine Youth  Club
  85. Jeinsafout Youth Club
  86. Sport Association Club
  87. Al-Fara’a Youth Center
  88. Sur Baher Jerusalemite Club
  89. Kufr-Thilth Sport Club
  90. Jurish Sport Club
  91. Al-Raja’ for Development and Sport Association
  92. Beit Surik Sport  Club
  93. Kufr Zibad Association Club
  94. Samaritan Community Club
  95. Deir Jarir Sport Club
  96. Silwan Sport Club
  97. Immatain Youth Sport Club
  98. Madama Sport Club
  99. Ahli- Al RAM Club
  100. Kufr-Aqab Sport Club
  101. Habla Sport Club
  102. Umm Tuba Sport Club
  103. Kharbatha Bani Hareth Club
  104. Zeita Sport Club
  105. Kufr-Jammal Sport Club
  106. Jamma’in Sport Club
  107. Qalandya Camp Youth Center
  108. Kufr Al-Labad Club
  109. Nabi Ilyas Youth Club
  110. Beit Iba Youth Sport Club
  111. Al-‘Oja  Youth Club
  112. Anata Youth club
  113. Kufr-Qaddum Sport Club
  114. Talfit Sport Club
  115. Beit Sira Sport Club
  116. Al-Ram Youth Club
  117. Hija Sport Club
  118. Al-Ta’awon Club for Persons with Disabilities
  119. Kharbatha Al-Misbah Club
  120. Islami Ramallah Club
  121. Qarawat Bani Hassan Club
  122. Biddu Sport Club
  123. Sama Sport Club
  124. Beit Almaqdes association for Arab Horses
  125. Biddya Sport Club
  126. Huwara Sport Club
  127. Sharafat Sport Club
  128. Arab Club -Beit safafa
  129. Al-Zawya Sport Club
  130. Majdal Bani Fadil Club
  131. Al-Eizariya Youth Club
  132. Shu’fat Sport Club
  133. Deir-Ballut Club
  134. Al-Musatqbal Club for People with Physical Disabilities
  135. Aboud Sport Club
  136. Alansar Jerusalemite Club
  137. Sarta Sport Club
  138. Salim Sport Club
  139. Jericho youth Club
  140. Islamic Youth  Association Club-Al-Ram
  141. Salfit Sport Club
  142. Al-Awda Club for Persons with Disabilities
  143. Zbedat Sport Club
  144. Bethlahem Orthodox Club
  145. Kufr Ad-Dik Club
  146. Tulkarm Youth Center
  147. Kufr –Ein Sport Club
  148. Irtah Youth Sport Club
  149. Hebron Youth Club
  150. Alar Culture and Sport Club
  151. Al-Ersal Sport Club
  152. Al-Ramadin Youth
  153. As- samu Youth Club
  154. Deir Al- Ghusun Club
  155. Arab Orthodox Cultural Club- Beit Sahour
  156. Al -Fawar Youth Center
  157. Bani Na’im Youth Club
  158. Anabta Sport Club
  159. Al- Sawahra Sport Club
  160. Dura Youth Club
  161. Al Shuyukh Youth Club
  162. Tulkarm Cultural Sport Club
  163. Ein Al Sultan Youth Center
  164. Islami Bethlehem Club
  165. Yatta Youth Sport Club
  166. Qaffin Sport Club
  167. Jaba’ Youth Sport Club
  168. Nazlat ‘Isa Social Cultural Sport Club
  169. Beit Awwa Youth Club
  170. An- Nazla Ash- Sharqiya Club
  171. An- Nuway’imah Sport Club
  172. Susya  Sport Club
  173. Al-Arroub Youth Center
  174. Thinnaba Sport Club
  175. Bil’in Sport Club
  176. The Capital of Birth Sport Club
  177. Taffouh Sport Club
  178. Shwayka Club
  179. Bir Nabala Sport Club
  180. Al-Siryani Club
  181. Beit Kahil Sport Club
  182. Nur Shams Center
  183. Al-Quds Sport Club
  184. De La Salle Sport Club
  185. Al-Karmel Yatta
  186. Ramin Sport Club
  187. Dura Al-Qari’ Sport Club
  188. Bethlehem Sports Club for the Disabled
  189. Surif Youth Club
  190. Far’un Sport Club
  191. Islami Sur Baher Club
  192. Salah Al-Din Sport Club
  193. Halhul Sport Club
  194. Bal’a Sport Club
  195. Fasayil Youth Club
  196. Al-Burj Youth Club
  197. Sa’ir Youth Club
  198. Beit Lid Sport Club
  199. Social Youth Center – Shuafat Camp
  200. Tarqumiyah Youth Club
  201. Beit Ummar Youth Sport Club
  202. An-Nazla al-Gharbiya Club
  203. Shuqba Sport Club
  204. Husan Sport Club
  205. Rabud Sport Club
  206. Attil Sport Club
  207. Ni’lin Sport Club
  208. The Palestinian Academy for Sport Talent
  209. Wadi al-Nis Sport Club
  210. Seda Youth Sport Club
  211. Old City Youth Association
  212. Baqa ash-Sharqiyya Club
  213. Al-khader Sport Club
  214. Iktaba Sport Club
  215. Saffa Sport Club

20 sept 2018
Apartheid is Always Bitter! A Palestinian Appeal to Chefs to Withdraw from Round Tables in Tel Aviv
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09/19/18 PACBI

We, the undersigned workers’, womens’ and farmer’s associations, appeal to chefs to cancel their participation in Round Tables 2018, scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv from November 9-23. It is an attempt to whitewash Israel’s grave violations of Palestinian human rights.

Several world-renowned chefs withdrew from previous editions of the culinary festival, sponsored by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, after learning of the festival’s agenda.

This year, the festival is using a feminist facade, through its “female edition” theme, to cover-up Israel’s decades-old system of occupation and apartheid. Palestinian women bear the brunt of of this system’s crimes and are doubly marginalized as a result.

The festival is partnered with companies involved in grave violations of Palestinian– and Syrian — human rights. Golan Heights Winery, Dan Hotels, and Argal Services Company all operate businesses in or that serve Israel’s illegal settlements, built on stolen land. Such settlements constitute war crimes under international law.

Round Tables claims to promote “cultural, economic and political dialogue through gastronomy,” while 72% of Palestinians besieged in Gaza are food insecure.

Israel, in fact, calculates [pdf] the number of calories needed to bring Palestinians in Gaza to the brink of starvation. These calculations are a basis for Israel’s siege. As reported by BBC, in 2006, Israeli government adviser Dov Weisglass said, “The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.”

Israel’s occupation snipers have recently killed over 150 unarmed Palestinian medics, protestors and journalists, including many children, in Gaza as they protested for their basic rights under international law.  Amnesty International condemned Israel’s shoot-to-kill-or-maim policy.

That is why we, with the majority of Palestinian society, have called for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), a nonviolent strategy to pressure Israel to respect our basic rights. It is inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement and the US Civil Rights movement.

We urge you to cancel your participation in this festival. Regardless of your intentions, Israel’s far-right regime will use your participation to mask its crimes against our people.

We sincerely hope that we can share our table with you after we are free from military occupation and apartheid.
Until then, we appeal to you to respect our struggle for freedom, by declining your participation in this festival.
Sincerely,

General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW)
General Union of Palestinian Workers
Union of Palestinian Farmers
General Union of Palestinian Peasants
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)
Via the BDS Nationial Committee.

16 sept 2018
Mother of BDS Co-Founder Omar Barghouthi Passes in Amman
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Wafia Barghouthi, the mother of BDS co-founder Omar Barghouthi, passed away in Amman, on Friday, as Israeli occupation authorities ban him from travel.

In May of 2016, Israel effectively imposed a travel ban on him by refusing to renew his residency document, and Barghouthi was unable to travel to Jordan, to be with his mother during cancer surgery.

Omar writes, according to the PNN: 

“Today, I experienced a personal Nakba. I am rarely broken, but today I am.

At 6:30 am, my beloved mother, Wafieh, which translates to loyal or faithful, passed away in her home in Amman, unexpectedly, swiftly, at the age of 76. She died on September 14, a day after the 25th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, without any apparent connection. Or so it seems.

My mother was born in Jerusalem in 1942, six years before the Nakba. She never cared much for Valentine’s Day, and she despised the “tacky red heart-shaped merchandise” that came along with it, but she was born on it.

They found her this morning on her kitchen floor with half a lemon in her hand, a smile on her face, and her suitcase at the door.

She was preparing her daily lemon water, to improve her immunity, as she was set to travel in a couple of hours — accompanied by my wife, Safa — to celebrate her victory over breast cancer. I was not planning to travel with them as I am still effectively under an Israeli travel ban.

When I saw her last, it was in Ramallah, a week ago. She was happy that she has recovered well and that her fingernails were finally growing normally after she had lost them all during chemotherapy. “These little victories are absolutely necessary,” she said. “They nourish our willpower to keep the good fight against the monster inside.”

Once we were discussing the concepts of victimness and resistance whether pertaining to the struggle against settler-colonialism or to cancer. She told me, “I do not see myself primarily as a victim, although I am a survivor of cancer. I see myself as a fighter who cannot relent. But I am so fortunate to have had the love and care and to be able to get medical treatment. How many sisters with cancer in Gaza are not allowed to travel for treatment and cannot get treated in Gaza either due to the fascist siege? It is beyond cruel and criminal. It’s fascist. I do not know how much longer I’ll live, but I shall dedicate my time to fight for their and their loved ones’ right to have this most fundamental right of theirs respected.”

She then went on a tirade against the Palestinian leadership for “failing to fight for our most basic rights; not just the right of return for refugees but also the right to life itself.”

Those who know my mother would know that political tirades are a genuine part of her unique and intriguing character. She was a secular Nasserite (supporter of the late Arab leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser), a feminist, an avid reader of literature and politics, an incredible cook, an unwavering supporter of popular struggles the world over against all forms of injustice, a moderate addict of Facebook (much less so of Twitter), a fan of the BDS-supporting Jewish Voice for Peace (US), a cleanliness freak, and an exceptional care giver with the biggest heart possible.

That heart stopped today, for the last time.

She was loving, responsible, fiercely independent, and quite expressive of her loathing of Zionism, religious coercion, sexism, despotic Arab regimes and, of course, the target of her daily attacks, the “hopelessly corrupt, co-opted and treacherous” Palestinian leadership.

My father, who was less intense but no less resolute in fighting for his beliefs and for our people’s rights, shared many of her opinions on politics and society, but not all.

He passed away 12 years ago.

He was among the independent founders of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Jerusalem in 1964. Throughout his activity in the PLO in various positions (voluntary, not paid), he consistently opposed and often publicly condemned every effort by the leadership to surrender Palestinian rights.

After the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, he publicly attacked it, considering it a form of capitulation to Israel’s settler-colonial project. My mother was 100% in agreement with him. But she did not much like the fact that he still had to meet Palestinian leaders from various political parties to explain his opposition to Oslo.

Whenever those meetings happened in their home in Amman, his assorted guests of politicians had to listen to mother’s unsolicited views. She would use the occasion of offering hospitality (she is a great cook, as I said earlier, so everyone looked forward to tasting her delicacies) to pause and offer a piece of her fearless mind.

She would usually start by reminding them how women’s voices are becoming less and less heard in the movement, to its detriment. And then she would share with them her analysis of what’s wrong with the movement, why it has strayed away from the liberation path, and what needs to be done to recover.

I’ll miss her tirades, her profound views on life, her unconditional love, her willpower, and her world-class sitt-il-hussun (a Levantine dessert of a special dough stuffed with walnut, black sesame and cinnamon, fried and dipped into a sugary syrup).

My lawyer is still trying to get me a reprieve of the de facto travel ban imposed on me so I can attend my mother’s funeral in Amman. In contempt of a 2016 court decision, the Israeli Ministry of Interior has for more than two months failed to renew my travel document, without which I cannot travel.

They are trying to punish me for my role as a human rights defender in the BDS movement for Palestinian rights. They think they will break me or deter me. Little do they know that this branch comes from that tree, and that tree has its strong roots deep in the fertile ground of Palestinian identity, Palestinian quest for justice and freedom, Palestinian resistance and Palestinian insistence on life that is worth living.

Wafieh, you have lived a life of “loyalty” and “faith” to your principles, to your people’s struggle, to your loved ones. I shall forever be faithful to your loving memory and the lessons you have taught me.”

12 sept 2018
French Online Payment Service Provider HelloAsso Refuses to Close Accounts Belonging to BDS Activists
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Supporters of Palestinian rights in France Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC) / France

HelloAsso, a French company that provides online payment services, has rejected pressure by Israel lobby groups to shut down the accounts of two French groups which support the BDS movement for Palestinian human rights.

HelloAsso will continue to provide services to both Association France Palestine Solidarity (AFPS) and BDS-France.

HelloAsso publicized its decision in a tweet explaining that it supports the right of citizens to call for BDS as part of freedom of expression.
In 2016, the European Union stated:

“The EU stands firm in protecting freedom of expression and freedom of association in line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which is applicable on EU Member States’ territory, including with regard to BDS actions carried out on this territory.”

Translation of HelloAsso tweet from French original:

[…] “HelloAsso is an apolitical platform that does not take any position regarding the claims of the BDS movement. HelloAsso nevertheless considers this movement as within the realm of free expression and not as discriminatory or antisemitic.

HelloAsso’s position is supported  by the European Union, which has clearly stated it favours protecting freedom of expression and association, including the right to advocate for BDS .

Therefore, the HelloAsso account of AFPS (Association France Palestine Solidarity) will not be removed.

To all those who criticize  us for hosting these organizations, we respond that the conflation that allows attacks on these organizations is dangerous because it conflates antisemitism, which we condemn without ambiguity, and criticism of the state of Israel, which is a political opinion. This freedom of expression is a fundamental right.

Since its creation, HelloAsso has striven to support freedom of association and to protect the right to freedom of speech because we are a platform that is committed to the model of [non-profit] association and at the same time apolitical, open and enriched by differences of opinion, a reflection of our society.”

The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) is the largest coalition in Palestinian civil society. It leads and supports the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights.

Trump Administration Defining BDS Activities at American Universities “Anti-Semitic”
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The US administration is considering measures to ban and sanction the international movement to boycott Israel, from U.S. universities where the movement thrives.

Hebrew sources said, according to the PNN, that the U.S. has already started taking steps to ban the BDS movement on American campuses, after Kenneth L. Marcus  was appointed as the new director of the Department of Civil Rights in the United States.

Marcus announced the start of an investigation into old cases, the most important of which was the Rutgers University case, in New Jersey, where there will be an investigation into its activities, and deal with a number of reported anti-Semitic incidents against Jewish students, several years ago.

The Obama administration closed the file, at the time; however, Marcus told the Zionist Organization in America that he would cancel the decision of the Obama administration and reconsider the case, to see if it is one of religious hatred or attacks on ethnic groups.

According to Israeli media, the Trump government also began to define the activities of the boycott campaign against the State of Israel as anti-Semitic.

Arab and Palestinian activists and supporters at the United States expressed their disappointment with the anti-BDS decision, saying that the US administration has taken a side in the conflict and “decided to accuse all those who sympathize with the Palestinian cause as anti-Semitic.”

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